Method and apparatus providing support for a parcel being carried manually

ABSTRACT

The present invention is an apparatus and method for transferring weight of a parcel being carried by a user to the hip area of the user. The apparatus includes one or more small platforms, a brace, and two fasteners. The brace typically slides behind the belt of the user, inside the pants or skirt. The fasteners attach to the belt. The carrier will typically support the parcel with two hands and the platform(s) of the apparatus. The whole apparatus can be fabricated as a unitary component from sheet metal or molded plastic, although often the top surface platform will be covered with some slip-retarding material, such as rubber or plastic. The apparatus is easy to insert and remove, lightweight, and nearly invisible when worn. The device is particularly useful for parcel delivery carriers.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for supporting aparcel being carried by a user. More particularly, it relates to anapparatus that transfers torque and weight from the load to thecarrier's body near the hips.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

People often carry in their arms relatively heavy, relatively compactloads over short distances. For example, an office worker might carry abox of copier paper from one room to another. A person might need tocarry a box full of books to arrange on a new set of shelves in thehome. A worker for a courier, package delivery service, or postalservice may need to carry a package from a truck to the door of arecipient many times each day.

In carrying, for example, a box of books, the carrier will typicallysimply lift the parcel in two hands, and press it against his body tokeep it from twisting and falling. He may use the top of his belt buckleto assist in supporting the weight.

A belt buckle is, however, of limited value for such use. All the weightis concentrated in a very small portion of the belt, usually causing thebelt to twist and deform. Also, the thickness of the buckle provides arather narrow platform upon which to rest the object being carried.

It is well known that a typical adult human's hips have great capacityto bear loads. Consequently, technologies have been adapted in a varietyof contexts taking advantage of this fact. For example, backpacks foroutdoor camping have incorporated hip belts to transfer much of theweight of camping gear they contain away from the arms and shoulders.Flag bearers in parades wear belts incorporating a cup to support theflagstaff from the bottom.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The inventor recognized that an opportunity existed to improve uponavailable means for manually carrying a compact but possibly quite heavyload. The invention is an apparatus and method that incorporates theconcept of transferring weight and torque to the hip area of the user.The terms “user” and “carrier” will be used interchangeably throughoutthis document.

The apparatus includes three features rigidly connected to each other—aplatform, a brace, and a pair of fasteners. The brace slides inside alower garment of the carrier. For convenience and to avoid pointlessrepetition, we will refer to this lower garment as “pants” throughoutthis description, although the lower garment might, within the scope ofthe invention, be any lower garment, such as trousers, short pants, or askirt. The brace will be between the pants and the body of the carrier.Other items of clothing may intervene between the pants and the body,such as a tucked-in shirt or an undergarment. When the apparatus isinstalled on the carrier, and the carrier is standing upright, the topof the platform lies essentially in a plane that is parallel to theground. The fasteners attach to a belt of the user, or to the top edgeof the user's pants, or to both. In some embodiments, there may be twoor more platforms attached to the brace.

Some the features of the apparatus may be symmetric about a midplane. Inthe preferred embodiment of the invention, the whole apparatus issymmetric about the midplane. When the apparatus is in place on acarrier, the midplane coincides with the plane of symmetry of a typicalhuman body.

In some embodiments, the brace is generally parallel to the surface ofthe body of the user. The brace is essentially perpendicular to the topsurface of the platform where the brace connects to the platform. Thebrace curves inward as distance from the midplane increases, so as tofit a human form. The brace may also curve inward in the downwarddirection away from the platform, also to fit a human form. The bracemay include a bottom edge that is contoured, in particular to avoid thearea of the hips of the carrier.

The fasteners are adapted to attaching the brace to the carrier's belt,pants, or both. The fasteners extend generally outwards (away from thecarrier's body) from the brace. In some embodiments, the fasteners aredownward opening hooks that slide over the carrier's belt and pants whenthe apparatus is worn by the carrier.

To carry a heavy package, the carrier will place the inner portion ofthe object being carried onto the top of the platform. We will use theterm “parcel” as a synonym for the object being carried. The term parcelis explicitly not intended to carry any connotations about the size,weight, shape, or contents of the object being carried, which might beanything. The carrier will typically hold the outer portion of theparcel with his hands, where “inner” and “outer” are relative to thecarrier's body. The weight of the object on the platform will createtorque on the platform that tends to cause the platform to rotatedownward and inward toward the body of the carrier. Because the platformis rigidly attached to the brace, a portion of the torque is transferredthrough the brace to the torso of the user in the area of the hips.

Torque is also transferred from the platform through the brace to thefasteners, then through the fasteners to whatever the fasteners areattached to, typically the belt and the pants of the carrier. Asmentioned previously, in some embodiments of the invention, thefasteners are downward-facing hooks. When the carrier installs theapparatus, the hooks slide down over the belt. In these embodiments, theapparatus is very easy to put on and take off, since it simply slipsinto place. It is equally easy to remove.

By counteracting the torque applied by the package to the platform, theapparatus transfers a portion of the weight of the package to the areaof the hips of the carrier. The inventor has found empirically that thebelt platform of the invention makes it relatively easy to carrypackages having mass of up to 25 kg.

In embodiments with two platforms, the platforms will ordinarily beseparated by some space horizontally. Having two platforms isadvantageous if the carrier sometimes needs to have one hand free whilecarrying a parcel, for example to knock on doors. The two platforms andone hand combine to provide three points supporting the package in ahorizontal plane.

In some embodiments, the top of a platform is designed to reduceslipping of the parcel. It may be covered with a non-slip materialfabricated from rubber or plastic. The surface may be textured toincrease friction and reduce slipping. For example, the surface of theplatform might be gridded, ridged, stippled, or corrugated. Texturingmay be in addition to the slip-resistant material, or an alternative toit.

The brace will typically be thin and formed from a relativelylightweight material, such as plastic or sheet metal. The entireapparatus is designed to be very lightweight. The thinness of the bracealso allows it to be worn comfortably. As mentioned previously, in someembodiments, the brace has a lower edge that is contoured to comfortablyavoid the hips themselves.

In some embodiments, the brace and a platform share a unitary component.By a unitary component, we mean an atomic object, made from a singlematerial, and not an object made by joining, connecting, or compositingother objects. Such a unitary component might be fabricated by cuttingand bending sheet metal, or by molding plastic, metal, or othermaterial. In other embodiments, the brace, platform, and fasteners allinclude a unitary component. In some embodiments, the entire apparatusconsists of a unitary component. In addition to the structural toughnessafforded by such construction, the apparatus will also be relativelyinexpensive to manufacture.

The apparatus is lightweight, compact, and easy to install and remove.In some embodiments, it is hardly noticeable visually to observers wheninstalled, with only a small platform protruding out from above thecarrier's belt buckle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the inventionapparatus.

FIG. 2 is a top view illustrating an embodiment of the inventionapparatus.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the use of an embodiment ofthe invention apparatus by a carrier to carry a parcel.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the inventionapparatus as it is being installed by a carrier.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the inventionapparatus after it has been installed by a carrier.

FIG. 6 is a cross-section through an embodiment of the inventionapparatus at the plane of symmetry.

FIG. 7 is a side view illustrating an embodiment of the inventionapparatus when worn by a carrier, showing fasteners in the form ofhooks.

FIG. 8 is a cross-section through fastener hooks in an embodiment of theinvention apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of the inventionmethod.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following description and drawings referenced therein giveillustrative embodiments of the invention. They are not intended tolimit the scope of the invention. Practitioners in the art willrecognize that many other embodiments of the inventive concepts arepossible. All such embodiments should be considered within the scope ofthe invention.

The first digit of each reference number corresponds to the figurenumber in which that reference number is first displayed. For example,parcel 310 is first shown in FIG. 3. A reference number may appear inthe text prior to the discussion of the figure of its first display.

Apparatus

The purpose of the invention is to assist a user 300 in carrying aparcel by transferring some of the weight of the parcel to the hip areaof the user 300. FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodimentof the invention apparatus 100. The apparatus 100 will be described witha coordinate system that corresponds to its orientation when normallyworn by a human user 300, as shown in the figure. There are threecoordinate axes 190, which are mutually perpendicular or essentially so.The first axis 191 has an inward direction, toward the carrier 300, andan outward direction, away from the carrier 300. The second axis 192 hasan upward and a downward direction; downward is toward the ground. Thethird axis 193 has a left and a right direction; left and right aredefined from the perspective of a carrier 300 who is using the apparatus100, which shall also be referred to as “wearing”, the apparatus 100.

The apparatus 100 includes at least one platform 104, a brace 110, andtwo fasteners 120. The platform 104 is rigid, and contains anessentially flat top surface 105. The platform 104 extends outward fromthe brace 110. In embodiments with a single platform, the platform 104is essentially symmetric about a midplane 200, as shown in FIG. 2. Whenthe apparatus 100 is worn normally, the midplane 200 will approximatelycoincide with the midplane 200 of symmetry of the body 510 of the user300. The top surface 105 of the platform 104 in some embodiments has aslip-resistant form 180. The slip-resistant form 180 may be achieved bytexturing the surface, for example with a grid, dimples, corrugation, orridges. Alternatively or in addition to texturing, the slip-resistantform 180 may be achieved by the use of a slip-resistant material 181,such as one that includes plastic or rubber.

The platform 104 typically extends outward a distance greater than 0.5cm and less than 15 cm; preferably the platform extends outward between2 and 6 cm. The platform 104 typically extends to the left and to theright of the midplane 200, respectively, between 0.25 cm and 10 cm;preferably the platform extends to the left and right of the midplane200 between 1.5 and 3 cm.

Some embodiments of the invention include two or more platforms 104 (notshown). In the case of two platforms, they will be located essentiallysymmetrically to each other relative to the midplane. Having twoplatforms 104 is advantageous if the carrier 300 sometimes needs to haveone hand 320 free while carrying a parcel 310, for example to knock ondoors. The two platforms 104 and one hand 320 combine to provide threepoints supporting the parcel 310 in a horizontal plane. Henceforth thisdescription will discuss the case of a single platform, although theextension to two or more platforms follows straightforwardly. The scopeof the invention includes such multi-platform embodiments.

The brace 110 is rigidly connected to the platform 104 along an inneredge 107 of the platform 104. The brace 110 is essentially perpendicularto the top surface 105 of the platform 104 along the inner edge 107 ofthe platform 104; the brace 110 is also essentially perpendicular to themidplane 200 along the inner edge 107 of the platform 104. Like theplatform 104, the brace 110 is preferably essentially symmetrical aboutthe midplane 200. The brace extends beyond the platform to the left andright of the midplane 200.

The brace 110 is designed to slide (see FIG. 4) inside pants 430 (or, asmentioned previously, trousers, shorts, skirt, or other similar lowergarment), between the pants 430 and the body 510 of the carrier 300.There may be other intervening layers between the brace 110 and the body510, such as underwear and a tucked-in shirt. (See FIG. 5-8. The brace110 is curved to match the shape of the hip area 440 of the user 300.The brace 110 curves inward with increasing distance from the midplane200. (FIG. 2) In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the brace 110 is curvedbut nearly everywhere vertical, but in some embodiments the brace 110curves inward when with increasing distance downward from the level ofthe platform 104, or, equivalently, from a top edge 115 of the brace110. Again, the geometry of the brace 110 is chosen to comfortably matchthe shape of the user 300. In some embodiments, the brace 110 iscontoured along its bottom edge 116 to fit the human form. In someembodiments, such a contour 170 causes the brace 110 to avoid thehipbone of the carrier 300.

Rigidly attached to the brace 110 proximate to, or on, its top edge 115are two fasteners 120. The fasteners 120 extend generally outward fromthe brace, and are adapted to attaching the brace 110 to the belt 400,pants 430, or both. In the embodiment shown in the figures, thefasteners 120 are hooks 150 that open downward. However, the fasteners120 might be clips, clamps, clasps, loops, or other kind of fastener120. The advantage of hooks 150 is that the apparatus 100 can beconfigured so that the hooks 150 easily slide into place over a belt 400and the top of a pair of pants 430 when the apparatus 100 is installedby the carrier 300.

Some or all features of the apparatus 100 can be made as a singleunitary component; that is, a component which is not assembled fromsub-components, but rather is created from a single piece of material.In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, all features except theslip-resistant material 181 of the top surface 105 of the platform 104are made by cutting and bending a single piece of sheet metal. Moldedplastic or metal can also be used. The compact form of the apparatus 100makes it very lightweight. In some embodiments, the mass is less than500 grams (g); preferably, the mass is less than 150 g.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the apparatus 100. The midplane 200, which formsa plane of symmetry of some embodiments of the apparatus 100, appears asa line in this top view of the apparatus 100. For the comfort of theuser 300, the brace thickness 210 is quite small, typically less than 5mm in thickness, and preferably less than 2 mm.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the use of an embodiment ofthe invention apparatus 100 by a carrier 300 to carry a parcel 310. Thefigure shows that a heavy parcel 310 will ordinarily be supported fromthree points, namely, the two hands 320 of the carrier 300 and the topsurface 105 of the platform 104.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the inventionapparatus 100 as it is being installed by a carrier 300. The apparatus100 is inserted between the body 510 and the belt 400 (if any) and pants430 (or trousers, shorts, skirt, etc.). The figure also shows a beltbuckle 410 and belt loops 420, the belt loops 420 being components ofthe pants 430 of the carrier 300.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the inventionapparatus 100 after it has been installed on a carrier 300. In thisembodiment, the brace 110 is hidden when the apparatus 100 is installed,so the brace 110 is shown with a dashed line in the figure. When theapparatus 100 is worn, the platform 104 typically rests on the belt 400,belt buckle 410, and pants 430 of the carrier 300.

A midplane section 500, at the location labeled “A-A” in FIG. 5,corresponds approximately to the plane of symmetry of the human body510. The cross-section is depicted in FIG. 6, which shows for thisembodiment of the invention that the top surface 105 of the platform 104is essentially perpendicular to the brace 110 along the inner edge 107of the platform 104, which at this location coincides with the top edge115 of the brace 110. The platform 104 rests on the belt 400, beltbuckle 410, and pants 430 of the carrier 300. The brace 110 is betweenthe pants 430 and the body 510 of the carrier 300, although usually withone or more layers of clothing between the brace 110 and the body 510.

FIG. 7 is a side view illustrating an embodiment of the inventionapparatus 100 when worn by a carrier 300, showing fasteners 120 in theform of hooks 150 The fasteners 120 attach to the belt 400 or to agarment 435 of the carrier 300. This figure also shows the contour 170of the brace 110, which provides a cutout around the hipbone of thecarrier 300. Here, the left side is shown. A section 700 through a hook150, which is the kind of fastener utilized in this particularembodiment, at the location labeled “B-B” is shown in FIG. 8. The hook150 is shown in its installed position, resting on the belt 400 andpants 430 of the user 300. The fasteners 120 help to keep the brace 110in position and the top surface 105 of the platform 104 level. They alsohelp by transferring torque to the belt 400, which in turn spreads thetorque over a portion of the length of the belt 400 itself.

Method

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an embodiment of the method of the invention.It should be noted that some of these steps might be omitted in someembodiments within the scope of the invention. After the method starts900, the apparatus 100 of the invention is inserted 910 behind the belt400 and pants 430 of the user 300. The fasteners 120 are attached 920 tothe belt 400 or, in some embodiments, to the pants 430 or other lowergarment 435 of the user 300. A parcel 310 is placed 930 onto theplatform 104, and typically also held by the user 300 with one or twohands 320 as illustrated in FIG. 3.

The parcel 310 on the platform 104 creates torque that is directeddownward and inward. This is counterbalanced 940 by transferring thetorque to the body 510 of the carrier 300 through the brace 110 and tothe belt 400 of the carrier 300 through the brace 110 and fasteners 120.The overall effect is to transfer a portion of the weight of the parcel310 to the hip area 440 of the carrier 300. The carrier 300 carries theparcel 310, resting on the platform 104.

CONCLUSION

The embodiments that have been described herein are illustrative of theinvention, but do not in any way limit the scope of the invention, whichis represented by the following claims.

1. An apparatus, adapted to being described by a coordinate system thatincludes inward, outward, upward, downward, left, and right directions,comprising: a) a rigid first platform, including an essentially flat topsurface, the first platform extending outward from a brace; b) thebrace, which (i) is rigidly connected to the first platform at an inwardedge of the first platform, (ii) is essentially perpendicular to the topsurface of the first platform and to a midplane along the edge where thebrace is connected to the first platform, (iii) is essentiallysymmetrical about the midplane, and (iv) curves inward to the left andto the right of the midplane; and c) two fasteners, which (i) arerigidly attached to the brace proximate to a top edge of the brace, onefastener to the left of the midplane and the other to the right of themidplane, (ii) are adapted to attaching the brace to a belt, a garment,or both, and (iii) extend generally outward from the brace.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the brace extends beyond the firstplatform to the left and right of the midplane.
 3. The apparatus ofclaim 1, further comprising: d) a rigid second platform, the secondplatform (i) including an essentially flat top surface that isessentially coplanar with the top surface of the first platform, and(ii) extending outward from the brace.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the apparatus is essentially symmetrical about the midplane. 5.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fasteners are hooks that opengenerally downward.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the platform,brace, and hooks share a unitary component fabricated from a singlematerial.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the unitary component isfabricated from plastic.
 8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein theunitary component is fabricated from sheet metal.
 9. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the fasteners are located essentially symmetricallyleft and right of the midplane.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe brace is primarily fabricated from metal or molded from plastic. 11.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the top surface has a slip-reducingform.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the slip-reducing formincludes rubber.
 13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein theslip-reducing form includes plastic.
 14. The apparatus of claim 11,wherein the slip-reducing form is gridded, ridged, dimpled, orcorrugated.
 15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the brace has athickness that is less than 5 mm.
 16. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe brace is adapted to comfortably fit on the front of a user inside agarment that is secured by a belt.
 17. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe platform rests on the belt.
 18. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe platform extends out from its inward edge a distance greater than0.5 cm and less than 15 cm.
 19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theplatform extends to the left and to the right of the midplane,respectively, between 0.25 cm and 10 cm.
 20. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the mass of the apparatus is less than 0.5 kg.
 21. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein the brace has a bottom edge that includes a contourto fit the human form.
 22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when thebrace is worn by a user, the contour causes the brace to avoid the areaof the hipbones.
 23. A method, comprising placing a parcel onto a topsurface of a platform of an apparatus, the apparatus adapted to beingdescribed by a coordinate system that includes inward, outward, upward,downward, left, and right directions, the apparatus including a) a rigidfirst platform, including an essentially flat top surface, the firstplatform extending outward from a brace; b) the brace, which (i) isrigidly connected to the platform at an inward edge of the firstplatform, (ii) is essentially perpendicular to the top surface of thefirst platform and to a midplane along the edge where the brace isconnected to the first platform, (iii) is essentially symmetrical aboutthe midplane, and (iv) curves inward to the left and to the right of themidplane; and c) two fasteners, which (i) are rigidly attached to thebrace proximate to a top edge of the brace, one fastener to the left ofthe midplane and the other to the right of the midplane, (ii) areadapted to attaching the brace to a belt, a garment, or both, and (iii)extend generally outward from the brace.
 21. The method of claim 23,further comprising inserting the brace on the front of a user inside agarment that is secured by a belt; and attaching the fasteners to thebelt.
 22. The method of claim 23, further comprising carrying theparcel.
 23. The method of claim 23, wherein the weight of the parcel onthe platform causes torque directed downward and inward.
 24. The methodof claim 23, wherein the brace transfers torque to the body of the user.25. The method of claim 23, wherein the fasteners transfer torque to thebelt of the user.